


Avatar: The Legend of Asuki

by bewitchingthemind



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: 100+ years in the future, Airbenders survive, Avatar Cycle, Avatar spirit world, Far Future, Gen, Modern technology, Original Player Characters, Post-Avatar: The Legend of Korra, Technology, The cycle continues, avatar spirit - Freeform, none of the cast is around anymore SORRY, raava - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:28:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25507474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewitchingthemind/pseuds/bewitchingthemind
Summary: Avatar Asuki finds herself in a very different world and very different circumstances to the last known Avatar, Korra.There was one between them, but no one knows their name, their gender, or their history. In fact, no one was even looking for a new Avatar, only ever hoping to uncover the mystery of the Earth Avatar.
Kudos: 3





	1. Beginning Again Chapter 1:01

_Water. Earth. Fire. Air._

The four nations lived, largely in harmony. This, however, proved an issue upon the death of Korra. The geomancy rituals to find the Earth Avatar seemed unable to find the spirit of the Avatar. Other nations then began to run their own rituals, learning of the failure of the Earth nations. Fire, Air, Water, each method was tried and each failed to procure a definitive answer to the question which erupted throughout the world.

> Who is the Avatar?

Disturbingly, this question lingered. It is a mystery that prevails, though there where whispers of folktales of the Avatar appearing in various locales. The Avatar would appear to the folks of hundreds of areas, calming local spirits, solving disputes, and keeping general peace. When asked, however, townsfolks couldn’t give a name. More concerning still, they each gave a different face and even gender to the Avatar. Only one thing remained consistent, the warm green eyes.

When the Avatar died, few witnessed the event, and none spoke of it.

Thus, when the next Avatar was born, no one was looking for one.

Perhaps this was for the best, as the commotion around _correctly_ identifying the Avatar would be the primary concern of all this time, surely.

During the period in which the Earth Avatar lived, there were a great many vast developments throughout the world. Many more cities were established as there was a population boom, and with those cities came inner cities, and suburbs thereby.

* * *

Our story begins in one such suburb, in a small birthing hospital. A finely featured woman with golden eyes breathed deeply in the warming waters as beside her sat her husband. He held firmly onto her hand as the women to her side instructed her in breathing. Her breath came out hot, in barely visible flames as she screamed into the night.

Her larger than normal belly was the first hint to doctors, but it was the RN who first made the suggestion that she could be carrying twins. The scans, of course, confirmed that the woman would bear two twin girls.

As she birthed the first with a final wail, the girl drew a sharp breath before being lifted from the water and placed against her mother’s bare breast. She coughed and drew her first breath of hot air, an only child for a minute before the second was born. However, unbeknownst to all there, the second child’s breath also drew in the spirit of Raava. She, too, was placed against her mother’s chest, and she screamed loud enough for all others in the building to hear.

* * *

Zhang and Asahi had met in college and had fallen in love from there. While the relationship had grown slightly stale, they found their partnership in parenting seemed to rekindle their affections for one another. While the girls were quite a handful most of the time, caring came naturally for each of them.

At about three years old, Asuki was already reading, much to the shock of her parents, though she was not meeting her milestones at the same rate as her twin Ai Genji. She was a force to be reckoned with, always toddling around the backyard and picking any flower that should please her in that moment.

Their parents were sitting on the back patio as the girls meandered around picking at the grass.Asuki was being followed closely by their large orange cat, who only made her difficulty navigating a bit harder. Still, the girl giggled each time she fell, and only got back up again. Her sister, meanwhile, ripped up a patch of grass and held it up proudly in demonstration of her feat of strength to her parents.

“Very good, sweetie,” Asahi said with an amused tone as she drank her tea, though she suddenly gasped to put down her cup as little Ai lifted the grass to her mouth to chew. But before she could get to it, it was on fire in her hands. Asuki stood with her hand towards her sister as their parents rushed up to Ai. As soon as it caught, Ai had instinctually dropped the grass, which quickly began to catch fire.

As a sensible creature, Kwan, the cat, promptly ran inside at the first sign of fire and screaming.

Ai was gathered into her mother’s arms as she wept, while Zhang stomped out the fire. It was only when the matter was settled that anyone realised Asuki had run off. As Asahi consoled the crying Ai, Zhang moved quickly inside to find Asuki sat on the floor with tears streaming down her small chubby cheeks.

“I sawwy,” she said, or, Zhang assumed as he dropped down to kneel before his daughter, “It’s okay, sweetie,” Zhang reassured her as he pushed her black hair behind an ear and looked into his daughter's warm yellow eyes. “Don’t worry, sweetie,” he repeated as he pulled her close, “It’s alright, she didn’t run off,” he said back over his shoulder. He held her little body close, his heartbreaking with every little sigh of sorrow that left her. "It's okay, sweetie," seemed to be his go-to phrase, go figure, "Everyone makes mistakes," he assures her as he rocks her little body. 

They weren’t sure if either of their children were benders. Zhang wasn’t, and it hadn’t made his life much harder. He would’ve been perfectly happy with two non-benders, though he wasn’t sure if Asahi felt the same way. It seemed normal, to develop at this age, but he was nonetheless a bit wary. They would have to be monitoring her fairly closely and to look out for similar events with Ai. They were identical twins, and he had never known such twins to differ.

* * *

“In 100AG, just before the first day of the eight-month, Fire Lord Zuko appealed to Avatar Aang in this very temple, which was the first step towards the world we know today,” the guide droned as Asuki’s heart beat wildly in her chest. She was one of the only children paying much mind to the guide. She had always been ravenous for any details on the lives of the past Avatars. While Ai understood the importance of understanding history, she was more interested in chatting to the other girls who surrounded them. “You know, I hear that the Fire Lady bathes in flames, you know?” a girl with mousey brown hair said with excitement in her green eyes, “No way, fire burns firebenders too,” Ai said, though she grinned at the image of bathing in flames. It _would_ be pretty metal, after all.

The Western Air temple was filled with Acolytes and Airbenders alike, who bowed respectfully at the visitors. “Would you ever shave your head like that?” one of Ai’s friends whispered to another, who immediately stroked a hand over her hair as if terrified that it might happen to her suddenly. It was then that Asuki broke into the conversation, “They do it so they can feel the air currents around them. It’s traditional. It’s kind of cool, really,” she insists, her voice not nearly as lowered as the others, “I mean, they used to wear it really long at the back. I don’t think that’s an amazing look,” Ai interjects, but only barely. Asuki continues immediately, nodding in agreement with her twin, “It’s practicality. What’s _so_ cool is that this used to be strictly women! How nice that would be. Obviously, some parts of the culture had to change, you know? The whole way air nomads used to do family, it’s hard for people, it got sort of lost to time. Plus, I wonder if it was even _possible_ for people to really do away with attachments like that. I don’t mean biologically, but, like, you develop emotional attachments by being close to people. I’ve been reading about their philo-“ A throat clearing from a nearby Airbender stopped the girls in their tracks, even more than stopping to listen to Asuki ramble.

“If you’re interested in our philosophy, I’m more than happy to guide you to our library. It has largely gone unassailed, these past 300 or some odd years,” the woman said with a small bow. She bore a striking blue tattoo marking a master in beautiful contrast to her deep skin tone. “I’d love to!” Asuki said, nearly as soon as the woman spoke. Ai promptly began to follow the pair, deciding immediately that as torturous as it was, she couldn’t leave her sister alone. Begrudgingly, the group followed, whispering disdain all along.

* * *

The others had amused themselves with the other children, who showed them their most interesting airbending tricks. One acolyte child had even engineered a machine which through a series of increasingly absurd and strange mechanisms could deliver a ball into a cup; it was a wildly impractical absurd series of objects to complete a simple task, but Ai and her friends were thoroughly impressed.

Even Asuki got bored with reading and came over to see the machine and marvel over its gloriously pointless task. “This is absolutely pointless,” she said with utter delight as the young acolyte grinned. “It is,” he insisted, “And that’s just it, the beauty in pointlessness,” he said in a broad gesture. The older woman walked in afterwards with a smile, “Bumi, you don’t have to show off,” she said, with great affection in her voice. Bumi sighed and waved a hand, “I’m not- I just - I was just _showing_ them,” he said, clearly flustered as the girls surrounding him laugh goodnaturedly.

She then strode over and ran her hand over his soft and tightly curled hair, “I suppose I neglected to introduce myself properly, I’m Dalha, and this is my son Bumi,” she said with a small nod, “I didn’t just stop you because of what you were talking about, but I can sense great spiritual energy in you, Asuki.” Her eyes, then, found Asuki’s for just a moment before the younger girl’s gaze broke away. “It’s curious, of course, firebenders aren’t traditionally very spiritual people,” she said thoughtfully as Ai sighed. She muttered something to her friends who nodded in commiseration. “Still, though, it really powerful. I don’t understand it, but, I’d like to get to know you better. If you’ll just wait here, I’ll go speak to your teacher and see if she’ll allow you to stay here for the night if that’s alright,” she said, her eyes trained on Asuki who did not return the attention directly.

“I’d really like that,” Asuki said with a smile, glancing up at the adult who returned the expression before beginning to walk out of the room. Nearly as soon as she did, Ai pulls out her phone and opens the camera, “We should post the video of your machine!” she insisted. As Bumi began to set it back up, Asuki stood back, thinking on what his mother had told her.

Ai watched him intently, “So, are your _whole_ family airbenders?” she asked as he nodded, “Almost all of them. I guess my great grandfather wasn’t one from when he was born, but after Avatar Korra he became an Airbender and we’ve been airbenders ever since. I have some other relatives who are non-benders but, um,” he shrugged. Ai seemed to light up at this, though Bumi remained focussed, “Me and my dad aren’t benders, but my sister and mom are. It seems _so_ unfair. I mean, we’re identical in every other way! Not, like, I think non-benders can do loads of cool stuff,” she said, grinning as she leaned over the table. While her attention fixed on Bumi, her friends started to slowly evacuate, likely looking for some way to escape back to their school group and _not_ have to stay at the air temple for the night.

Bumi was cautious as he set back up his weird mechanisms, even as he spoke, “I think non-benders sometimes think, like, that we’re less…that we can’t do as much, but that isn’t true. Plenty of the past presidents aren’t benders, and almost all of the greatest inventors,” he gestures towards her phone, with a pai sho chip, “I don’t think a bender would’ve invented the phone. They just don’t think practically like that,” he shrugged as he placed the chip carefully on the edge so it would slide perfectly down the ramp. “Hey!” Asuki interjected, as if just noticing what they were talking about, “I’m _very_ practical, I’ll have you know. Fire can solve problems, sometimes. One time, Ai got trapped in this brush because she wanted - “ Asuki is immediately cut off by her sister’s hand over her mouth.

“I swear to all that is good in the world, I will destroy you,” Ai hissed as Asuki and Bumi both laughed, “What about turtleducks? Will you swear on their fuzzy little heads?” Asuki taunted, her eyes growing wide as an imitation of the creatures. Ai groaned and shook her head, pouting in defeat. “My point is just that sometimes bending is useful, and sometimes not…bending is useful,” she said with a shrug, “Everyone has a purpose, and some people’s purpose is to build pointless machines!”

* * *

The temple was still, quiet, and ancient. It was comforting to Asuki who had long since become accustomed to the stillness of the night. It felt similar to that, the comforting rocking waves of silences seemed to lul her as she too rocked slightly in the crisscross position she copied. It had been perhaps an hour of this comfort before Dalha’s soft voice crept back into her ears.

“Air currents are all around us,” she began slowly, and Asuki chose not to open her eyes, “They move from my breathing, from yours, from the forces of nature outside of any of our control. Can you imagine them?” she asked, and Asuki hummed in an affirmative tone, “Can you imagine what it would be like to move with the air? To bend it with the chi in your body? To allow it to lift you off of the ground, or to hold it in your hands?” she asks. Asuki scrunches up her face, “I’m not an Airbender,” she protests as she opens her eyes, blinking at the light.

Dalha was closer than she’d been, and she was lifted off of the ground, the air current under her swirling. It was some version of the air scooter that had been invented by Aang, Asuki quickly surmised. “I know that’s what you think, understandably,” Dalha said with a warm smile, “Just humor me,” she said, holding out her hands, her palms facing one another. “Focus on the freedom of the air around you, how it moves around anything in its path, imagine becoming a part of it, using your skill to help guide it between your palm into marbles that dance.”

Deciding it would be better to go along with the woman’s idea, Asuki mimicked her movements, taking time to think of what it _might_ indeed be like if she could bend the air. The shock, however, when she felt a current of air move against her skin, and immediately causes her to fall backwards onto her palms.

“No!” she said, her heart immediately pounding as Dalha smiled, descending back onto the ground with more grace than Asuki found sensible in the moment.

“Yes,” the adult countered promptly, “You are the Avatar.”


	2. New Friends Chapter 1:02

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sisters grow closer to new friends, meet a new one, and learn more about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I broke my arm, so this chapter is MUCH shorter than I wanted. I really apologise for that. Also, there's a good amount of cursing.

Zuko, the only son of the crown Princess of the Fire Nation, had not always been known by that name. For the first fourteen years of his life, he was thought to be a girl. Coming out had been difficult for him, but in doing so he knew he’d done the right thing for himself. Though his parents were never perfect, they accepted and loved him; that was better than many other kids got.

As a young boy, he recalled speaking to his great grandfather Iroh about Fire Lord Zuko. It was Iroh who had brought up how much he had looked like him, having remarked, “You really have his eyes,” softly in a moment on Zuko’s fourth birthday. “Which one?” the young boy immediately asked in return, causing Iroh to laugh, alongside most of the adults. Zuko didn’t understand what he’d said at the moment, though reminiscing on it often did bring a smile to his face.

Today was his sixteenth birthday and the first anniversary of his start in his medical transition. Hormones had done a great deal for him, and while he had some bad days, they were becoming fewer and further between. That was, in part, because he was rarely seen outside of the grounds of the estate where he grew up.

He was feeding the turtleducks when his mother approached, “Zuko, sweetheart, happy birthday,” she said softly as she moved to sit on the bench behind him. Her behaviour was odd, he noticed. After all, they had just had a small celebration, so it seemed unnecessary for her to say that again. He turned toward her, twisting his head over his shoulder, “Why are you saying that again?” he asked as he moved to his feet to sit beside her.

“I suppose I wanted to soften the news,” she said, as she reaches out to take one of his hands in hers, “Your grandmother has taken ill, we’re afraid she might not make it this time. We’ll have to attend to her at the palace, and if she does pass, Zuko, you understand what that means?” she asked as she turned her head, her gaze on his as his remains on the turtleducks bobbing for bread.  
  
“You’ll have a coronation?” he said, blinking repeatedly as if trying to suss out her meaning.

She inhaled deeply and nodded at his words, “Yes, I would become the Fire Lady, but we would then be living at the Royal Palace. I know that might be hard for you, I wanted to give you as much time as I could for you to prepare,” she asserted as he met her gaze for a moment. His face was grim as he nodded, “It would also make you the Crown Prince, which comes with some duties of its own,” she said, her voice as gentle and calming as the pond before them, “We’ll have people to help you, of course, you’re only a boy, but it is a public position. I know how hard that is for you,” she said as she reached her free hand to stroke over his cheek, tilting his head towards her. He leans his forehead towards her knowingly as she kisses his forehead, the motion practised and intimate.  
  
“I know, mom, I’ll be able to deal with it,” he tried desperately to say it with more confidence than he felt.

* * *

The Air Temple was exceedingly peaceful at night, which was a perfect contrast to the abundant noise that filled Asuki's mind as she left her long meditation. She hadn’t seen Ai, having spent the rest of her day trying to develop her minimal ability to manipulate air. Dahla seemed to find her skills deeply impressive, though Asuki found her own paltry attempts to pale vastly in comparison.

“Ai,” Asuki whispered loudly, shaking her twin’s shoulder. She had been allowed to stay the night as well, though she must have no idea why, “Ai, get up, lazybones,” she hissed. Eventually. Ai whined, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

“Fuck you want?” she groaned as she looked up at her sister.

She wasn’t prepared for her sister’s response, as she extended her hand, Ai started to yell in horror. She was anticipating fire, so when a gentle breeze blew back her hair, her mouth closed before dropping open again “What the fuck?” she asked, grabbing her sisters hands, “What the _fuck_?” she repeated.

“I know, I know. Do you-“  
  
“You’re the fucking _Avatar_?”

“Stop cursing. You can’t curse in a temple.”  
  
“Fuck off, Avatar. Holy shit, my sister is the _Avatar_ and I can’t even bend? That’s just -“

“Sort of unfair, sorry.”  
  
“It’s new, though. Hot diggity shit. Do you know what that _means_?”

“That I can bend all of the elements and I’m the bridge between our world and the spirit world? I knew there was a reason I loved every time we got to visit the spirit gardens!”  
  
“No, idiot. _You can figure out who the Earth Avatar was_.”

“I don’t know. No one knows if we can contact past Avatars anymore.”  
  
“You have to _try,_ though.”

* * *

It only took a week until Ai was spending every day with Bumi. She had always been good at Maths, unlike her sister. However, she knew nothing about engineering. It was quite fun, at least in her opinion, to apply such ephemeral concepts into reality.

They had just created quite an elaborate mechanism, which could nearly put toast in the toaster. They had heard the temple was going to be graced with a special visit from the crown. And while both were meant to be on their best behaviour, they hadn’t managed to get much sleep.

The crown prince was just about their age, and they were excited to show him their contraption.

The sound of fanfare announced the arrival of the nobles, a small precession of fire nation nobles Ai half recognised as Military leaders and advisors. In the back, a short young man stood with black hair tousled artfully over his eyes.

Glancing over at Bumi, and then back to the prince, Ai’s heart race picked up significantly, accompanied by the harrowing thought, ‘ _Oh no, he’s also hot._ ”

Asuki joined her shortly thereafter and gathered her sister's hand in her own. Interlacing their fingers, she smiled, "Can you believe the prince is here to meet _me_?" she said in disbelief. Jealousy bubbled slightly in Ai's throat, but she only nodded and hummed at her sister's summation.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been kicking around my head for a while. I'm sure other people have very different images for the future of the Avatar world, and I only hope that you enjoy my vision. I'm trying to be fairly accurate, so this will largely be PG-13 at most (for cursing, violence, and perhaps some light kissing or implications of more). I have a problem with switching from present to past tense as a writer, I'm working on it, please forgive some things I'll miss!
> 
> I'll do my best with updates, but I'm unlikely to be the most reliable. I'm sorry, I'm truly a writer at heart.


End file.
